"She was a very special lady. You can immediately feel her presence with a group of people," said Rod Paige, the former U.S. secretary of education who has known Caldwell since his days as superintendent of Houston Independent School District in the early 1990s.

Individual attention

Paige said he was impressed by how she interacted with children. No matter how many children she was talking to simultaneously, it felt as if she was giving each one individual attention.

In 2005, HISD named a new elementary school in honor of the long-time educator.

Families and friends remember Caldwell as a fighter. Battling more than seven diseases over the last 15 years, she continued mentoring women and working to improve the community.

"She fought so long to live, and she didn't know how to die when she wanted to die," her son said.

'Mom Caldwell'

Caldwell helped mold the lives and careers of countless successful Houston entrepreneurs, artists and public servants, who called her "Mom Caldwell."

Marsherria Wilson, a business woman who runs a national funeral home company with her husband, said her life would not be the same if Caldwell wasn't part of it.

"She took a personal interest in me and taught me life skills. I looked at her as a second mother, so this is very hard on me," Wilson choked with emotion.

Caldwell obtained her bachelor's and master's degree in sciences from Prairie View A&M University, where she met her husband, Booker Caldwell, a renowned businessman. They were married for almost 60 years until he died in 2011.

Kirbyjon Caldwell recalled his mother as a pure-hearted and classy woman, who always presented the best of herself, even in difficult situations.

He laughed when he recalled one of his visits in her last days, when his mother spotted a small imperfection on the edge of his pants. She said to him, "Your pants are dirty."

"We literally thought she was dying at the time, but that's just her. Whatever you do, look your best," the reverend said.

Caldwell is also survived by her daughter, Dorothea Pickens, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

A celebration of life service will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Kingdom Builders' Center, 6011 W. Orem Drive.